What we learned

[t3hjc]

I think the biggest thing we "learned" was that Notre Dame still does not have the preparation, execution, mental toughness and swagger of the elite teams in the college football world. When people play Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. they are concerned because they know these teams are routinely well prepared, well coached, and fielding the best talent the country has to offer.

That well-prepared Alabama team turned the ball over five times today against Kent State. The difference is they were playing Kent State.

 

[GBdomer]

I disagree,

GB, you have a lot better info on our recruiting, but honestly, ask any football coach, "what pisses you off?"

1st answer: simple mistakes
2nd answer: turnovers
3rd answer: lack of executition

sorry if their feelings were hurt, but we played like ****, and we have to own up to that

sorry than i guess ill just give recruiting updates from here on out. I meant to quote the guy just didnt find it.

 

[Sportster]

Think what was needed in that halftime locker room was some chairs going through walls much like McMichael did with the Bears! Look,football is a game of emotion. If you aren't willing to get fired up, keep your butt home. It's warfare, not needlepoint. If I were Kelly, I'd be so fired up half the fricking team would have been sent back to their dorm rooms for milk and cookies the way they played! NO excuses for the product on that field today. It sucked from beginning to end. Mistake after drop after HEY there's a football in my head! Recievers not looking for passes, punt returners waiting till the last &*(#( second to get UNDER the ball, TWO facemasks in a row? You betcher beatin' heart Kelly should be fired up! Or he'll GET fired!!!!!!

 

[t3hjc]

Why are we acting like this is the first time Kelly's yelled?

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Newbie gets it........ lmao

 

[ND4EVA]

Kelly looked like a nut job a few times today. Sorry Brian, but I don't care how bad it is going, you have to be atleast reasonable. I even saw him screaming at another coach.

He will LOSE recruits and his own players doing this stuff. You have to pick your places for the screaming.

People can say Lou yelled back in the day, but I NEVER saw Lou even close to Kelly today. Plus, kids today do not take well to that screaming. He needs to take a chill pill.

Must have missed this one then

Andy Staples: Over the years, line between tough and abusive coach has changed

 

[NDinFL]

sorry than i guess ill just give recruiting updates from here on out. I meant to quote the guy just didnt find it.

Don't get mad, I wasn't trying to offend

my only point is (as far as recruiting being hurt by BK's "tirade")

if a player makes a mistake (recruit, current Irish player, etc) and he can't come back to the sideline and take the Coach's verbal assault... That just seems to be lacking in accountability and mental toughness to me.

If potential future Irish players see BK "blowing up" on our guys, I would almost guarantee they've either heard it before, and/or understand WHY he is yelling

 

[BobD]

Oh my gosh.... We're actually pontificating whether a player/coach had his verr-gina hurt because big, bad Kelly yelled at them??? Is this a joke? Toughen up people.... I realize that this generation has be pussified x 1,000,000 but this argument takes the cake.

Believe me, I've completed some of the toughest military training there is and taken butt chewings from instructors that make BK look like a little cream puff. It has nothing to do with "pussifying" something.....it has to do with professionalism...today BK lost his composure and a lot of respect when his team needed him the most. Just like the players he can do better next week, I'm just sayin....his mistake is gonna be harder to overcome than the players errors.

It's just my humble opinion and opinions are like a$$holes.....everyones got one.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Not to beat the dead horse, but Kelly looked a lot like this, even though he had a whole lot more to be mad about:

Saban gives McCarron an ear full - YouTube


The point being that coaches yell, and we should deal with it.

Not many coaches can have the talent that Tony Dungy has had, which is bascially what's necessary to be a soft-spoken and successful coach.

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Not to beat the dead horse, but Kelly looked a lot like this, even though he had a whole lot more to be mad about:

Saban gives McCarron an ear full - YouTube


The point being that coaches yell, and we should deal with it.

Not many coaches can have the talent that Tony Dungy has had, which is bascially what's necessary to be a soft-spoken and successful coach.

Big difference when you're rappin' at a kid and actually putting your own hands on him.... If Saban would have done that to my kid, I'd give him the green light to knock his little *** out.

 

[WaveDomer]

I'm not worried about BK being mad on the sidelines. The guy has been a HC for a long, long time. He's probably handled almost every type of coaching situation out there. I don't think you can say how a parent or player is going to react to what a coach does on the sidelines. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye.

As far as the team goes, I think next week is the real test to see what is what. Was this just some crazy fluke game where every stupid thing that can go wrong goes wrong? Or is ND not prepared and not as good as we all had hoped?

I think it's hard to see the forest for the trees sometimes. There are surely a lot of negatives to take out of this game, but there are positives too. It's easy to play "woulda, coulda, shoulda" with the turnovers and all that. That's why I think next week is the key. I think we already know a lot due to how they almost pulled the game out today. One thing is for sure, when you drive the length of the field and then fumble and they take it all the way back, that is going to rock you.

 

[Grahambo]

Everybody needs to come back from the ledge. If you truly think the sky is falling and that all hope is lost after 1 game of the season than you really need to get out more often. Fact is, 5 turnovers will lose you a game 99.9% of the time. A fumble brought back 96 yards, INT's off of helmets because TJ couldn't turn his head, INT's within the 5 yard line, holding call on a TD.

You couldn't gift wrap a game any better then what ND just did and yet, they still only lost by 3. BK is still coaching Weis' recruits. He can only coach these kids so far. At some point, pure talent has to take over. Rebuilding is not easy and has some bumps in the road and if you can't handle that than you need to just do yourself a favor and leave.

The key to all of this is the defense and they are for real. The mistakes on O can be fixed. They will be fixed so take a deep breath, take it easy, come back from the ledge, and watch ND take it to Michigan in their own house next week. The O will be much improved, the D will do what they do, and ND will show how good they really are.

And please USF fans, you only won by 3. I'd be more worried than you really are. 5 turnovers, a fumble returned for a TD, holding calls, facemask penalties, the list is endless yet you only won by a FG that was missed by our kicker. You have a lot of work to do yourself.

 

[irishfan]

This game was eerily similar to Navy 2009 IMO. At least this time the game was in the opener and to a solid team. I think we'll be okay, but next week is huge. Like, really huge. If we win next week, I could easily see us still being a BCS team. Lose, and I could honestly see a .500ish year.

 

[Brown]

ignore

 

[NDinFL]

The stage is set...

We have to show up

 

[tadman95]

Read this whole thread at 4:00 in the morning, pretty good read for the most part.

The first half was hard to watch. I wish I had some deep, meaningful insights as to the problem/s but I don't. Unfortunately, I have to admit to my contribution to the loss.

During the first drive, I'm in my game chair. When we got down to the 1 yard line, I moved from my chair to the computer to post some elated post about our impending touchdown, you know, a "That's what I'm talking about" kind of thing. As soon as I sat down at the computer, we ran the play and fumbled. I tried to make mid-game adjustments to my sitting techniques but the damage was done. Sorry guys!!

I hope the team realizes that momentum from last year and the confidence built up during the off season just doesn't mean much in a real game. We got punched in the mouth and just didn't get handle it very well.

I'm looking for that moment when someone makes a play that clicks with the whole team. When we can win games like this, full of mistakes, that's when I'll know we're back. The measure of championship teams is not beating inferior teams, it's finding ways to win when you just aren't having a good game.

 

[Shillelagh Law]

Believe me, I've completed some of the toughest military training there is and taken butt chewings from instructors that make BK look like a little cream puff. It has nothing to do with "pussifying" something.....it has to do with professionalism...today BK lost his composure and a lot of respect when his team needed him the most. Just like the players he can do better next week, I'm just sayin....his mistake is gonna be harder to overcome than the players errors.

It's just my humble opinion and opinions are like a$$holes.....everyones got one.

Agreed. It's nothing to do with 'pussification' and everything to do with players losing respect, even a little, for the coach and Kelly not being in control and most importantly not coaching properly.

How is he fixing anything by screaming in someones face for 5 minutes ?. Thats not constructive coaching that's just him losing it through frustration. The faces of the guys I saw who had been roasted were faces of players who were done for the day as their morale had been broken. Remember in the military instructors are intentionally trying to break people and then build them up in the military mold. Kelly wasnt doing that yesterday, he just lost it through frustration.

Yeah I am a newbie on here but I have followed the Irish from 5000 miles away since 1988 and have coaching experience.

I sat up until 2.30am local time and have rarely been so disappointed in the Irish this early in the season. I had a lot of respect for Kelly as the Cincy coach and right up until kickoff yesterday but that has been eroded a little I'm afraid.

 

[NDinL.A.]

BIG. BOY. FOOTBALL.

If you don't want to get yelled at, then don't eff up so damn badly. I was at the stadium...the crowd was completely jacked to start that 2nd half, ND was about to score and TJ Jones completely screws up, perhaps (at the time) costing us the game. I had ZERO problem with Kelly reaming him out. Zero. It's one thing to have physical mistakes, but those mental ones just kill.

And if you're sad b/c you got yelled at, then go get a tissue and watch the next man come in and do your job.

Kelly yelling at his players wasn't problem yesterday. Turnovers were...period.

 

[Shillelagh Law]

I don't think anyone on the entire thread is saying Kelly yelling at his players was the problem ?.

Anyone who watched the game could probably list 20 things that either cost us the game or just weren't acceptable yesterday.

The whole Kelly losing it thing is another issue. It has been levelled at him before that he isnt a good motivator, he was chewing people out yesterday (which I agree has to be done from time to time) he went way beyond that because HE LOST CONTROL. I guarantee that he feels that this morning, which of course he wont admit to the media.

I am not anti Brian Kelly, but he did a poor job of motivating the players yesterday.

 

[Brown]

Kelly has been yelling/livid/cursing out his assistants and players his entire coaching tenure. This isn't some wet behind the ears head ball coach; this is a coach with 20+ years under his belt. If his yelling/temper got in the way of his team's success over the years, I'm sure he wouldn't have made it to Notre Dame.

He's a competitor. He wanted a NC as badly as we all do. With this loss, that is a virtual impossibility. I don't blame him for being fired up/emotionally erratic. Boneheaded plays cost this team its chance for a historic season.

 

[tadman95]

I don't know what Kelly was saying to TJ but my perception was it looked a little over the top. May be wrong it just "looked" extreme.

You have to be careful of going beyond coaching to "getting personal". I am not saying he did, just saying that you can't go there.

 

[Brown]

He was pissed. Four letter words were going off like a night on 4th of July.

 

[tadman95]

He was pissed. Four letter words were going off like a night on 4th of July.

Yea, I don't think he was teaching proper language etiquette at the time. LOL

 

[Shillelagh Law]

Don't even get me started the way he lost it at his assistants too.

I'm sorry, he simply wasnt this bad at Cincy, he just wasnt.

EVERYBODY was frustrated. He is the HC of Notre Dame and needs to act with a tad more professionalism. Should he get on players backs who screw up ? Yes. Was that what he did last night ? No. He lost control and belittled players and assistants. If they made him feel better great but did it help the team win the game and those players feel motivated - almost certainly not.

 

[Brown]

I love a fiery coach on the sideline. I don't see any problem with it whatsoever. Everything that could go wrong went wrong today. I don't blame Kelly for going batshit crazy today.

 

[Green Goblin]

Don't even get me started the way he lost it at his assistants too.

I'm sorry, he simply wasnt this bad at Cincy, he just wasnt.

EVERYBODY was frustrated. He is the HC of Notre Dame and needs to act with a tad more professionalism. Should he get on players backs who screw up ? Yes. Was that what he did last night ? No. He lost control and belittled players and assistants. If they made him feel better great but did it help the team win the game and those players feel motivated - almost certainly not.

I agree. As a big Brian Kelly supporter, I don't ever recall seeing him like THAT at Cincy.

I get there was A LOT to be frustrated about but frankly, I think Theo Riddick's bad day is partly Kelly's fault.

When you get in someone's head and make them feel like total ****, how can you expect them to perform after that? Performance has A LOT to do with confidence and they know when they made a mistake, sometimes its better to just say you'll get it next time rather than constantly screaming "CATCH THE F***ING BALL" in his face REPEATEDLY. Which is what Kelly did to Riddick when he dropped that one ball late in the game. The kid feels horrible already, he feels like everyone is mad at him, tell him you have his back and he'll be 10X more motivated to make something happen next time rather than feeling like everyone there hates him.

Build them up. Don't tear them down that much.

That scene will NOT persuad recruits to come here either. It'll be detrimental.

 

[bjohnmwc]

Think about the situation, though.

In terms of TJ, the ball hit in in the head. As he was crossing the middle of the field. As he did not look at the QB. As ND was about to score a touchdown. And it turned into an INT.

I think that TJ Jones has the potential to be a contributor on this offense, and we will definitely need him to be if we are going to beat anybody this year. I think that one of hte reasons Kelly lost it here is because he expects more of TJ and knows that TJ coulda/shoulda/woulda caught it for the TD.

 

[Brown]

I agree. As a big Brian Kelly supporter, I don't ever recall seeing him like THAT at Cincy.

I get there was A LOT to be frustrated about but frankly, I think Theo Riddick's bad day is partly Kelly's fault.

When you get in someone's head and make them feel like total ****, how can you expect them to perform after that? Performance has A LOT to do with confidence and they knonw when they made a mistake, sometimes its better to just say you'll get it next time rather than constantly screaming "CATCH THE F***ING BALL" in his face.

Build them up. Don't tear them down that much.

You didnt see the 2009 big east championship game? Kelly was livid all game long. Red faced, f-bomb dropping, screaming @ assistants, etc. But talk to any player that has played for Kelly, and or any coach under him, and they have nothing but respect and admiration for him.

If the players cant handle the yelling then transfer/get off the team. This team has been soft for too long. Don't like it? go play for another school.

 

[NDinL.A.]

Don't even get me started the way he lost it at his assistants too.

I'm sorry, he simply wasnt this bad at Cincy, he just wasnt.

EVERYBODY was frustrated. He is the HC of Notre Dame and needs to act with a tad more professionalism. Should he get on players backs who screw up ? Yes. Was that what he did last night ? No. He lost control and belittled players and assistants. If they made him feel better great but did it help the team win the game and those players feel motivated - almost certainly not.

Then you didn't watch him at Cincy enough. NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

I remember him getting in Pike's face something fierce at Cincy. I mean in his face barking like a madman. And this was the season he went 12-0 and beat teams like USF who had much more talent than his team did. But b/c of Kelly (and his fiery personality), his teams were tougher mentally and physically than many of their opponents.

A lot of his former players don't like him personally (and a lot do like him of course). But to a man, every former player that has posted on a message board or has been quoted in the papers or has even been quoted by people they know, has said that Kelly was a great coach and a winner.

Bottom line...no one complains about BK yelling when we win games. But when we lose games, it ALWAYS comes out. And I'm OK with your opinion (we just don't see eye to eye on this) but please don't ct like this is new or extreme with him. This is SOP for BK...nothing has changed, as I witnessed with my own eyes.

 

[bjohnmwc]

Let's everybody keep in mind, we also don't see what goes on during practice. Kelly may be a warm cuddly teddy bear during practice (I doubt it) but we are judging him on the basis of what happens on TV for one three hour block (or 5:10) each week.

I like to see a coach with some fire in his gut. Do I necessarily think it's always effective? No. But do I want to see some emotion? Yes.